Microsoft acquires ZeniMax Media and Fallout maker Bethesda for $7.5 billion

vegeta535 said:
Eh doubt it. MS doesn't have the greatest track record with studios they buy out.
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true, not a fan of microsoft buying up all these studio's because of their track record. but, i will say their approach this time around seems a lot better thought out or they at least have some one who cares about things other than only profit margins running their game division.
 
One funny aspect Bethesda has two upcoming PS5 exclusives.

I wonder if MS legal is already pouring over those contracts looking for the outs.... or at least for what Sonys obligations are. I would have to imagine exclusive contracts like that have required sales targets... required marketing spend. ect.

I imagine if Sony agreed to spend X amount of marketing money on those titles to retain exclusive status MS will be holding them to them. I can picture it now... the Sony commercials for those games with the NEW Bethesda logo with the MS flag replacing the gear. haha

To be a fly on the wall for the conversation between those two legal teams would be interesting.
 
Well this might be good, M$ has tons of money to throw at things. We could see some good games come out of this. Then again we could see more online-game model copies with name branding.
 
vegeta535 said:
Eh doubt it. MS doesn't have the greatest track record with studios they buy out.
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Why do you think that? Microsoft/Xbox Game Studios has shown support for a lot of games that were passion projects, not just mainstream blockbusters, and seems to have a better track record than most letting their property developers do their things on their own.
 
ChadD said:
One funny aspect Bethesda has two upcoming PS5 exclusives.

I wonder if MS legal is already pouring over those contracts looking for the outs.... or at least for what Sonys obligations are. I would have to imagine exclusive contracts like that have required sales targets... required marketing spend. ect.

I imagine if Sony agreed to spend X amount of marketing money on those titles to retain exclusive status MS will be holding them to them. I can picture it now... the Sony commercials for those games with the NEW Bethesda logo with the MS flag replacing the gear. haha

To be a fly on the wall for the conversation between those two legal teams would be interesting.
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MS already said existing deals will remain in place. It also sounds like they're not going to make every game exclusive either. Saying that games will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. So that means we could still be seeing some major titles on non-MS platforms.
 
Axman said:
Why do you think that? Microsoft/Xbox Game Studios has shown support for a lot of games that were passion projects, not just mainstream blockbusters, and seems to have a better track record than most letting their property developers do their things on their own.
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Microsoft has a habit buying studios that either aren't that great to start with, or letting them run things into the ground. Sea of Thieves is alright, but it's a far cry from the Rare that brought you Donkey Kong Country or even Viva Pinata. Gears of War arguably went downhill in the Microsoft era. And remember, Bungie left in part because it didn't want to be forced to make Halo games for all eternity (as 343 Industries appears to be doing).

That and Microsoft tends to hype up its published games that really, really don't deserve it. "Buy an Xbox One, we have Crackdown 3 and ReCore!" Actually, Microsoft, those titles make a pretty good case for buying a PlayStation instead...
 
1. Its better than FB or Sony buying them.
2. OMG Zenimaz was only worth 7.5 billion ( Minecraft all by itself was 2.5 Billion )
3. well it is 2020 after all
 
Derangel said:
MS already said existing deals will remain in place. It also sounds like they're not going to make every game exclusive either. Saying that games will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. So that means we could still be seeing some major titles on non-MS platforms.
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I mean they kept Minecraft on all platforms after they acquired Mojang. Microsoft is in it for the money. If they determine they’ll make more money keeping the games multiplatform then they’ll keep it that way.
 
ChadD said:
One funny aspect Bethesda has two upcoming PS5 exclusives.

I wonder if MS legal is already pouring over those contracts looking for the outs.... or at least for what Sonys obligations are. I would have to imagine exclusive contracts like that have required sales targets... required marketing spend. ect.

I imagine if Sony agreed to spend X amount of marketing money on those titles to retain exclusive status MS will be holding them to them. I can picture it now... the Sony commercials for those games with the NEW Bethesda logo with the MS flag replacing the gear. haha

To be a fly on the wall for the conversation between those two legal teams would be interesting.
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It is going to probably be the same as with Obsidian. They released outerworld for PS5 and a future releases will be exclusive that don't have contracts already in place for
 
Loose Nut said:
1. Its better than FB or Sony buying them.
2. OMG Zenimaz was only worth 7.5 billion ( Minecraft all by itself was 2.5 Billion )
3. well it is 2020 after all
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Why would it be better than Sony buying them? Sony has said some PlayStation exclusives would be made available for PC as well, and I wouldn't expect Microsoft to be any more receptive to versions for rival consoles.
 
Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
 
Aurelius said:
That and Microsoft tends to hype up its published games that really, really don't deserve it. "Buy an Xbox One, we have Crackdown 3 and ReCore!" Actually, Microsoft, those titles make a pretty good case for buying a PlayStation instead...
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Those two certainly aren’t system sellers but they both were enjoyable experiences I thought. Well once ReCore got the atrocious load times sorted. Crackdown 3 was just another open world power fantasy but sometimes it’s nice to jump into a game where you can turn your brain off and just go for a romp.
 
Krenum said:
The only thing I'm worried about is ES6 development.
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I think MS will take ES6 seriously knowing how many times Skyrim was able to be resold. It's a golden goose at this point. They could add co-op and resell it for $60 again next month and we would all buy it lol.

This might even give us a shot a keeping free mods alive now that Bethesda isn't completely in charge. (I won't hold my breath)
 
This is pretty huge. Like them or hate them, Fallout and The Elder Scrolls and some of the biggest IPs in video games. Sony loosing future games from them will certainly make the Xbox more appealing because I do believe those two games will be system sellers. And I think this will be the Microsoft strategy going forward. Just buy a bunch of game studios. Hopefully they let them do their own thing though and don't run them into the ground like Halo.

I wonder how it will effect sales/profits from those games though.
 
Flogger23m said:
I wonder how it will effect sales/profits from those games though.
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If Microsoft is smart they'll still publish big titles like the Elder Scrolls across platforms but offer free stupid upgrades like Xbox and Playstation-specific horse armor.

They should want to use games to make Sony fans Microsoft fans.
 
exlink said:
“Like our original partnership, this one is about more than one system or one screen. We share a deep belief in the fundamental power of games, in their ability to connect, empower, and bring joy. And a belief we should bring that to everyone - regardless of who you are, where you live, or what you play on.”
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You know MS is fucking loaded when they say stuff like this:

Microsoft expects the acquisition to close in the second half of fiscal year 2021 and to have minimal impact to non-GAAP operating income in fiscal years 2021 and 2022.
 
Colonel Sanders said:
That's a hot take, but you understand how big the Elder Scrolls and Fallout franchises are, right?
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Not really much of a hot take. A lot of people agree with me. Honestly if it wasn't for the modding (which I don't give a fuck about personally) the games wouldnt be held in such high regards.
 
chimera991 said:
Anyone else have a feeling Sony might be looking to purchase Rockstar games?
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I doubt Sony has the cash to do it. What gives you that impression?

Edit.
Looking into it now is Rockstar worth only 3.5 billion? They probably made more then3x that from gta5.
 
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Look at what you did console peasants. Especially you Xbox owners, all five of you. Now all ID and Bethesda games may end up being exclusive to the Xbox console. All future Bethesda games may never see mods unless it's bought from their store.
 
Microsoft now own The Elder Scrolls, Fallout, Dishonored, Doom, Wolfenstein, Prey, Quake, Rage, and all Obsidian, InXile, and Double Fine games. That's a huge amount of gaming history and of bigger formerly-independent studios that Microsoft now own. I hope they are going to do good things with them.

Microsoft has been making a lot of positive gaming moves lately, but it's still too soon to take it as confirmed that Microsoft is going to continue their good trajectory. I'm concerned that the positive changes Phil Spencer (I'm presuming) has finally brought to Microsoft after being with them for so long could be threatened when he leaves the company - which I hope won't be for a long time still.


I am surprised that ZeniMax sold their company because ZeniMax has been a privately-owned greed-driven rotten company seemingly obsessed with self-aggrandization, and $7.5 billion isn't a lot of money for all of that IP, which I think could easily make that much back within 5 - 8 years, if enough studios are working on projects with them.

I wonder if ZeniMax' owners felt they wanted to spend more time using their money rather than fighting to make it, and so just sold the company. But then, Bethesda Game Studios hasn't released a notable new game in 9 years. So, I think ZeniMax' ownership realized they lacked proper management for what was their company and that they weren't going anywhere fast anymore.


The Elder Scrolls IP going to Microsoft is probably a big improvement over it being under the control of ZeniMax. This means that studios other than Bethesda might make future Elder Scrolls games, and that production, quest design, and writing quality direction might be taken out of Bethesda Game Studios' own hands and undergo more scrutiny and held to better standards (both of those things have been awful in every Bethesda game since Oblivion).


The ZeniMax sale to Microsoft means:

- Management, production quality, and PR representation will likely significantly improve for Bethesda Game Studios games, which was sorely lacking in all of those things.

- That we'll likely see Elder Scrolls and Fallout games released a lot more regularly, as Microsoft will surely increase the number of studios working on them so that it isn't 5 - 9+ years between each next release. Microsoft didn't pay $7.5 billion to not be releasing games, after all.

- That someone other than Todd Howard could get to direct an Elder Scrolls game - which would be great because that guy is a hack.

- That Obsidian, which Microsoft also own, might make a future Elder Scrolls or Fallout game - which could be great because they actually have writing talent.

- That ZeniMax will be launching fewer lawsuits, including fewer frivolous lawsuits.


"We're Still Bethesda," Says VP Pete Hines Following News Of Microsoft's Acquisition
"But the key point is we’re still Bethesda. We’re still working on the same games we were yesterday, made by the same studios we’ve worked with for years, and those games will be published by us."

Hopefully, that is mainly just assuaging PR from Hines, because the last thing that BGS games, and Elder Scroll and Fallout fans, need is for them to still be Bethesda, making games in the same way as they were doing under ZeniMax.
 
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DukenukemX said:
Look at what you did console peasants. Especially you Xbox owners, all five of you. Now all ID and Bethesda games may end up being exclusive to the Xbox console. All future Bethesda games may never see mods unless it's bought from their store.
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What gives you that idea? Did you read the thread? MS has said that not all games will be exclusive. Why would you think MS would prevent modding or lock anything to their store?
 
Nolan7689 said:
Those two certainly aren’t system sellers but they both were enjoyable experiences I thought. Well once ReCore got the atrocious load times sorted. Crackdown 3 was just another open world power fantasy but sometimes it’s nice to jump into a game where you can turn your brain off and just go for a romp.
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I'm glad you enjoyed them! Let's put it another way, then: critics weren't enthusiastic about either title, and they definitely weren't the system sellers Microsoft made them out to be. It's as if Sony was betting its first-party future on Knack.

I suspect things will turn around now that the likes of Bethesda and Obsidian are in Microsoft's stable, but oh how there was a dark period where first-party Xbox games were generally synonymous with "mediocre."
 
5150Joker said:
Good for PC gamers in the long run since MS isn’t adverse to bringing Xbox exclusives to PC unlike Sony.
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A lot of Sony's exclusives, are just timed exclusives that have PC launches in the works. There was an internal memo that leaked about that a while back supposedly, as well as something from an add campaign.
 
I'm all for this because really what's the worst that could happen here.. The games come out late and buggy as hell then require 2 years of community modding to make them work? Microsoft has already gotten an agreement in place with Valve for game distribution going forward and they appear to be putting serious effort into their first party game development stuff so. At least they show signs of a proper effort.
 
Post-Microsoft Acquisition, Bethesda Games Will Be On Other Platforms On A "Case By Case Basis"
According to a report from Bloomberg, Bethesda has been working closely with Sony pre-acquisition with games like Deathloop and Ghostwire: Tokyo. Given that both of those games were marketed as limited-time PlayStation exclusives, the acquisition of the company by Microsoft could change things.

Bloomberg's Dina Bass says that Microsoft's Phil Spencer told her that the company will honor the PlayStation timed-exclusivity but after that, other console launches outside of PC and Xbox will be reviewed on a "case-by-case basis."

Bethesda is behind some of the most beloved franchises in gaming, including The Elder Scrolls franchise and Doom. Given that many of those series, including the single-player focused Fallout games, have a wide fanbase of millions, it's unlikely that the company would pull access from Sony completely.

We are still awaiting confirmation as we've reached out for comment, but it's likely that Sony fans will still see The Elder Scrolls 6 on PlayStation 5 systems, but brand-new IPs like Starfield might remain an Xbox/PC-only deal.
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It looks like the console space just became more rivalrous - and this might make purchasing decisions more difficult for those planning to buy one of the upcoming consoles.

But the PC platform, meanwhile, is looking to be in the best position it ever has been for game releases, with Microsoft pledging to release all its future games on PC at the same time they launch on Xbox, and with various formerly PlayStation-exclusive developers porting their games to the PC, and even Sony saying that they're looking to port more of their games to PC.

PC hardware has also surpassed the upcoming consoles' capabilities before they even release. And Nvidia seems to be accomplishing the same thing as the PS5's special SSD's capability with their RTX IO feature.

The PC is shining bright right now, when it comes to gaming.
 
This is great news for Game Pass subscribers. Eventually we end up winning all around since both Microsoft and Sony are looking to port their exclusive titles to PC. That's going to be a lot easier to do since the new consoles are using similar tech.
 
Delicieuxz said:
Post-Microsoft Acquisition, Bethesda Games Will Be On Other Platforms On A "Case By Case Basis"


It looks like the console space just became more rivalrous - and this might make purchasing decisions more difficult for those planning to buy one of the upcoming consoles.

But the PC platform, meanwhile, is looking to be in the best position it ever has been for game releases, with Microsoft pledging to release all its future games on PC at the same time they launch on Xbox, and with various formerly PlayStation-exclusive developers porting their games to the PC, and even Sony saying that they're looking to port more of their games to PC.

PC hardware has also surpassed the upcoming consoles' capabilities before they even release. And Nvidia seems to be accomplishing the same thing as the PS5's special SSD's capability with their RTX IO feature.

The PC is shining bright right now, when it comes to gaming.
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You took the words right out of my mouth. Great post!
 
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